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The owner and CEO of Cord Camera, Steven Louis Cordle, 58, died Sunday after a battle with
cancer.

Cordle was born on March 22, 1954, in Columbus, the month before his family’s business was
established.

His father, Cushman “Jick” Cordle, uncle William “Bud” Cordle and grandmother Laura Cordle
started Fast Photo Service, a wholesale black-and-white film-processing company that later became
Cord Camera.

Steven Cordle joined the business after graduating from Brookhaven High School in 1972. When Bud
retired in 1975, the business was operated by Steven, his brothers Bob and Dave, and their
father.

In the late 1980s, Steven became part owner of the corporation, and then sole owner in 1995 when
his father retired.

Cordle began to expand the thriving business, which at its peak had more than 30 locations in
Ohio and Indiana. But the introduction of digital cameras led to financial struggles and
retrenchment for the chain.

In 2009, Cord Camera was down to 18 locations and was purchased by Colfax Financial, a locally
owned venture-capital company. Cordle and his family were part of the ownership group of
Colfax.

During the struggles, Cordle handed over day-to-day operations of the company to John R. Crotty,
president and chief financial officer of Colfax.

“It was a point in time where Steve wanted to step back and enjoy his family,” Crotty said. The
company has “worked our way out of it, and we have a bright future. I think Steve was proud of how
we bounced back. He was a great guy.”